Vigloo AI Short Drama Festival 2026: $20,000 Prize Pool

Build a complete vertical AI drama in three minutes or less

The 2026 Vigloo Short Drama Festival is looking for an actual story, not a disconnected AI demo reel. Entrants create a fully AI-generated vertical short with enough character, conflict, and momentum to make viewers want the next scene.

Contest details

• Deadline: October 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Korea Standard Time—10:59 a.m. Eastern and 7:59 a.m. Pacific on October 11.
• Who can enter: Adults worldwide who can legally receive the award and are not in a sanctioned jurisdiction. A free Vigloo Studio account is required; a paid plan is not.
• Entry fee: Free. Entrants may use Vigloo Studio or other AI tools.
• Prize pool: $20,000 cash: $10,000 grand prize, two $3,000 Excellence Awards, and two $2,000 Merit Awards.
• Video format: A fully AI-generated story no longer than three minutes, exactly 9:16 vertical, at least 480 pixels on the short edge, and 300MB or smaller in MP4, MOV, or WebM format.

The creative brief

Every person and scene must be AI generated; live-action footage is not accepted. Editing, captions, and other post-production tools are allowed. The rules emphasize story most heavily, scoring narrative hook, structure, character, emotional effect, and craft.

If dialogue or on-screen text is not in Korean or English, add subtitles in one of those languages. The organizer recommends 720×1280 or 1080×1920, consistent 24fps, H.264, and Rec.709 SDR.

How to enter

Upload the finished work through the contest form, then post it publicly on an eligible social account, tag Vigloo Studio, and provide the public post URL. Keep the post visible through the results announcement. Submitted works cannot be edited or withdrawn, so check the export and entry fields carefully first.

Rights and finalist publication

Creators retain ownership. The rules grant Vigloo permission to judge, publish, watermark, edit as needed for those purposes, and promote submitted work. Twenty finalists will be released on Vigloo, and final rankings combine the first-round judging score with platform watch time. Read Articles 8 and 9 for the exact license scope and duration before entering.

Read the official Vigloo rules and submit.

Online Video Contests independently summarizes opportunities and is not the contest organizer.